The Philadelphia 76ers have two more roster spots to fill with the season still a couple of months away from starting. One of those is already presumed to be reserved for Quentin Grimes, but the other one undoubtedly remains wide-open for taking thanks to the front office cutting ties with young wing Ricky Council IV.
Council, who spent the last two campaigns with the 76ers, was a bit of a trainwreck last season. He started the season off in Nick Nurse’s doghouse, and while he was handed with much bigger opportunities on the hardwood as the year progressed, he did not make them count. Quite frankly, he was utterly disappointing.
In 17.1 minutes per outing, Council, who recently turned 24, logged just 7.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game on putrid shooting splits to the tune of 38.2 percent shooting from the field and a disastrous 25.8 percent conversion rate from beyond the arc. That made it relatively easy for Philly to waive him ahead of the season.
The team’s stronger backcourt rotation was also a death knell for his stint with the franchise. But now, he has found a new NBA home — one where he could turn out to be a much better fit with.
Ricky Council IV has a chance to take revenge on the 76ers
Shortly after getting waived by the 76ers, Council was reportedly picked up by the Nets, which signed him to a one-year deal. Now, that may seem minuscule in the grand scheme of things, but it undoubtedly presents the young wing with an opportunity to prove his former team wrong.
Council has a great shot at getting a lot of court time with the ragtag and rebuilding Nets, allowing him to showcase his two-way potential more than he ever did in Philadelphia. And to make things spicier, the 76ers will see Brooklyn at least four times next season depending on how the play-in tournament turns out to be.
Now, pegging him as someone who can be aas big of a menace as to disrupt the 76ers entirely would be too big of a hyperbole, but he could definitely make them pay if the Nets do hand him a big role and he remains healthy. He has familiarity with their roster, and his defensive ability in one-on-one situations could be a pendulum swinger against Philly’s litany of ball handlers.
Of course, the objective fan will be hopeful that he ends up having a productive season, but funny enough, that could also prove detrimental to the 76ers, at least for the upcoming campaign alone.